What is the current status of the DTV visa application process for expats in Thailand, specifically for those attending culinary school?

#APPROVED

Hi everyone, just wanted to document my DTV journey for anyone applying or waiting right now.

📌 Category: Soft Power – Culinary (House of Taste - Thai Cooking School located at Sukhumvit Soi 4)

📌 Applied via: Thai Kru Agency

📌 Embassy: Vientiane, Laos

📌 Initial Document Submission: 9 January 2026, 08:36 AM

📌 Payment confirmation: 9 January 2026, 11:01 AM

There was no queue at the embassy that morning.

📌 Update – 13 January 2026

15:40: Received a request for additional documents

17:45: Agent submitted all required documents the same day

After submission, the status changed back to “Pending Document Checking.”

I’ll continue updating this post with every change (approval, e-visa issuance, etc.) to help others get a clearer idea of the current processing speeds.

📌 DTV Visa Journey Update (16 Jan, 11:00 AM)

Quick update for anyone following my timeline:

I’m still currently at “Pending Document Checking.”

No movement yet since I submitted my additional documents on 13 Jan at 17:45 (Laos consulate).

From what others have shared, it seems normal for after-hours submissions to be reviewed the next working day, and many updates happen either late afternoon or the following morning, so my case is abit weird since there's no movement at all after submission, just back to Pending Document Check.

Will continue to update this post the moment the status changes, in case it helps anyone else track their own timeline. 🙏🏼✨

If anyone submitted additional docs around the same window (13–15 Jan), feel free to share your progress too.

📌 DTV Visa Journey Update — Approved

Final update for those following my timeline in case it helps others applying in Vientiane:

I received my visa approval email on 17 January at 1:55 AM (Saturday).

Interesting note: my application skipped the “Pending Approval” stage entirely — it went straight from “Pending Document Check” → “Visa Approved.”

THERE WAS NO INTERVIEW. 🤗

My full timeline:

9 Jan (Fri, 11:01) – Paid visa fee at Vientiane

13 Jan (Mon, 15:40) – Received request for additional documents

13 Jan (Mon, 17:45) – Submitted all additional documents

14–16 Jan – Status remained “Pending Document Check”

17 Jan (Sat, 1:55 AM) – Approval email received

A few key things I learned from this process:

Staying in Pending Document Check for several days is normal, especially for Vientiane.

The system can skip “Pending Approval” completely.

Approval emails can be issued during weekends / after midnight, because the e-Visa backend seems to be automated.

Hope this helps anyone else who’s currently waiting.